DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, this story exists purely cause I want it to, Additionally, credit to cover image goes to Mythorie over on Deviant Art, your awesome mate
HELLO DEAR READERS, I'M BACK!
Okay, so, confession time, I've had a BAD several months as far as writing goes, particularly for 'Storm and the Hawk', I've either not had the time, or motivation to pick it up. I want to be clear though, I'm NOT abandoning it, it's just going to take longer than I speculated to complete
My apologies to those waiting on the next chapter, but it's going to be a while longer
Meanwhile, my mind - treacherous thing that it is - hasn't stopped rattling off ideas for new stories, at a ridiculous rate. I resisted the urge to start something new for as long as possible, but it was a battle I eventually lost, 'Storm and the Hawk' was going nowhere, and it didn't feel good leaving you guys with nothing
So, here we are, with a new story. This one is a little different than my previous stories, and I may be bending the rules to breaking point with this one as technically it IS a crossover. The reasons I haven't posted it as a crossover story however are as follows
1. The main Characters are our lovable Storm Hawks that we all know and adore
2. I wasn't sure how many Storm Hawk fans would know, or even be interested in what the second main theme/setting of this story is, so I felt it easier to post it on the Storm Hawks page and give you guys directions to the wiki's you need to educate yourselves
The first is this: Stellaris_Wiki
The second is this: wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki
Go here and you'll find all the info you need
I will however give you some context to get you started
Stellaris is a computer game by Paradox Interactive that involves you - the player - taking control of one of a plethora of different races in the quest to become the dominant race in the galaxy, whether that's through forming a federal alliance, colonization, or just conquering all of your neighbors and have them bow down to your superior might
Mass Effect is another computer game (though I believe it is also available on console), that takes place in space. This one however is an RPG where you the player, take on the role of Commander Sheppard of the Terran Alliance, and are placed on a path to save the entire frigging galaxy and everyone in it.
Heavy stuff right
Well, this story takes place in a strange fusion of both these universes, and has pulled our favorite Storm Hawk's characters along for the ride. They'll be elements and rules from both universes (don't worry I won't break anything by putting incompatible elements together... much, hahahaa), as well as characters, and even races from other great Sci-Fi stuff
Finally, this is going to be the start of Book 1 of this series, that's right, you heard me correctly, BOOK 1, I doubt I'll ever be truly done with this one, but it does mean I will have something to do, whenever I'm having a dry spell on one of my other stories
So I think that's everything - oh wait, one last thing
WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS THEMES OF DISCRIMINATION, RACISM, AND SLAVERY, IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO VIEW THESE, PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR PREVIOUS PAGE
For those of you who are staying... WELCOME TO MY-
No no, done that joke already, let's just roll this thing shall we
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, welcome to... Stellaris, Book 1, enjoy (bows and exits stage right)
Blurb:
On the planet of Atmos, the Telani people prepare for their annual tradition known as the Fledging, a journey undertaken by Telani about to enter adulthood. On this journey we follow a group of young Telani – Piper, Aerrow, Finn and their older peer, Dove – excited to begin their Fledging. However, unbeknownst to them, they have an unexpected guest, a Human, called Lark Cyclonis, secretly visiting their planet, studying their people and culture
Together they depart on the Fledging, all the while unaware of the shadow that looms over Atmos, and is due to strike again. When it does, the youngsters are flung into a Galaxy of danger, meeting new people, both friends, and enemies, and reuniting with long lost loved ones. The young Telani of Atmos are about to find out, that their world is so much bigger than they could have possibly imagined
Stellaris
Chapter 1: The Fledging
"Observation log 1, date, Monday the 25th of June, time, 7:42am. Current location, Observation Pod 4, on the surface of the planet Atmos, in the Eggellen Prime system, my name is Lieutenant Lark Cyclonis of the United Nations of Earth Navy, currently under the command of Professor Torrens of the Alpha Centauri Prime Academy."
Lark glanced again at the external cameras as she spoke into the recorder, there were no native inhabitants about, and probably wouldn't be for the next 20 minutes or so, Telani were slow risers, odd considering their family connection
"My team and I have been on this observation mission for the better part of six months now, and despite a plethora of evidence that these people are ready for first contact, Professor Torrens still refuses to send a request to the Academy, the UNE, or the Galactic Council, insisting that more evidence is required."
Lark paused here as she once again checked her equipment; she wanted to make sure she was prepared for absolutely anything
"As such," Lark continued, "I have taken it upon myself to perform an in-depth study of perhaps the most important and revered tradition of the Telani people, the Fledging. This tradition occurs once a year, every year and is a rite of passage of sorts for the young adults in the native population."
Lark glanced at the notes she'd already made to ensure her information was accurate, "According to previous, distanced studies, the Telani young adults go out into the few remaining wilderness areas on their planet, and spend a full month out there, with no adult supervision or interference, what so ever."
Lark quietly muttered 'lucky' to herself, remembering how difficult it had been for her to even get her parents to let her go to the Academy at just 11 years of age, and then later accompany her favourite Professor on this observation mission. She then cleared her throat and continued
"This is as much a test for the parents as it is their children, the time apart makes both sides appreciate that which they have. It also gives valuable life experience to the participants of the Fledging, as well as survival skills, which they learn both during the Fledging, and during their preparation years for it."
Lark had the scanners do one final sweep of the area to check for life signs, it would be just her luck to be spotted by a native and throw the entire mission into the trash can
"It is my belief, that when the Academy sees an up close study of the Fledging, and its benefits on this society, along with the other evidence I've gathered, that they will approve a first contact scenario. These people are on the cusp of rising to the galactic stage as it is, and if it is handled poorly, by us or them, the results could be disastrous, and possibly lead to the extinction of the Telani species."
Lark made one final check of her equipment, satisfied that she had everything, she prepped her cloaking field, and readied to leave the pod. "If you see this after I beam it back to the station Torrens, know that you pushed me to this, these people deserve the best chance we can give them, and you're ignoring them, I'm sorry Professor, but in honour of my Grandmother's memory, I cannot just sit by anymore."
With that, Lark hit the end button on the recorder and beamed her first log back to the cloaked station, sitting behind Atmos' largest moon. Then, she climbed out of the pod, emerging onto the top of a small rock formation on the outskirts of a large settlement, taking a breath; she activated her cloaking device and closed the door to the pod with a flick of her hand, her form seamlessly blending in with her surroundings
A few minutes after Lark had left, the Com-Terminal began flashing, it did this for about a minute, before the system put the call onto the answering machine, and a robotic voice filled the pod
"You're call cannot be taken at the moment, please leave a message after the beep."
Beep
"Lark, its Torrens, come in Lark, do you read me, Lark whatever you do, don't leave that pod, do you copy Lark, Lark! Come in god damn it! Lark, LARK!"
City of Atmosia, 8:00am
The alarm clock began buzzing in Piper's ear as the second hand ticked to eight, the moment the first chirps filled the room, Piper shot from her bed, throwing her blanket off and dashing straight for the clothes that she had prepared the previous night
Today was the day, the day of her Fledging; she'd been waiting four years for this day
As she dressed she glanced at herself in the mirror, she was a slim girl, with a light build just beginning to flower into womanhood at the age of 15, going on 16. She shared her mother's chocolate coloured skin and blue tinted raven locks, her hair colour carried to the feathers of her wings as well, lustrous, shimmering blue feathers that had had every boy in her year staring at her whenever she walked past
She had her father's eyes though, a pair of dazzling amber orbs that sparkled in the sunlight. Their brightness seemed enhanced today in the dawn sun; she could hardly contain her excitement. There was a small amount of fear though, four years ago, her older sister Starling had departed on her Fledging, she had not returned. Starling – along with many others – had disappeared four years ago, this had been the same pattern throughout living memory, every four years, people would disappear during the Fledging
It happened like clockwork, so why did the Fledgings still happen on these cursed years. Some believed that maybe one day, no one would disappear, others were more traditional, believing that if a Fledging was ever missed, the Spirits would bring down an awful punishment upon them
As for Piper, she knew her parents didn't want her to go; she was young enough that she could afford to wait a year, but she didn't want to, and ultimately, it was Piper's choice of when she took the Fledging. So why did she want to go this year, because Piper believed that she could find her sister, or some clue as to what had happened to her
Piper finished off preparing by grabbing a small orange headband, and using it to hold her hair up in a tall column of hair. Dressed and ready, she took one more glance in the mirror, a small ache in her chest started as her mind was dragged back to the day Starling left on her Fledging. Apart from their skin and eye colour, Starling and Piper were nearly identical, Starling had more of their father's facial features, while Piper had more from their mother, but they had looked very similar growing up
With the way she was now dressed, in clothes built for the outdoors, it was almost as if Piper was staring at her sister. She placed her hand to the glass, "I'll find you," she breathed, "I'll find out what happened big sis, I promise."
With that quiet promise, she dashed downstairs to breakfast
The Telani are a unique race, they were divided into clans, but their government was based on the idea of cooperation between the clans. Each clan managed a different part of their planet, and each was specialised in a different way. The clan of Atmosia were the Protectors, it was they who produced the honour bound warriors known as Skyknights, warriors devoted to protecting the people, even from themselves, if that became necessary
They were also unique in their biology
The most obvious thing about them was that they were Humanoid; in fact, they resembled Humans in almost every way, except one. Each individual sported an impressive pair of wings sprouting from the backs of their shoulder blades. This meant that all Telani, even females, had slightly broader shoulders than the average human, to accommodate the extra muscles required to operate such magnificent feats of evolution
The colour of the feathers of a Telani's wings, most often matched their hair colour, but sometimes could be a shade or two off, or in rare cases, completely different
This made any area that the residents of Atmosia flew through a literal kaleidoscope of colour, particularly as Atmosia was a city where every Telani kept their feathers neatly groomed, keeping them in pristine condition so that they shimmered in the sunlight
This was the scene that Lark now found herself in as she considered her next move. She needed to get into the Fledging, she was currently following a group that was primarily filled with those who would be taking the Fledging this year. She didn't want to spend the Fledging cloaked and hidden though, no, to truly wow the old fossils back at the Academy, she needed to get closer than that, she needed to interact.
To do that however, she would have to appear as one of them, she couldn't afford to reveal she was human, the consequences of that went way beyond what these people would do to her if they discovered she wasn't one of them
As she followed her chosen group though, more and more participants began gathering, and an idea began forming in her mind, where better to hide, than in plain sight
"Are you absolutely sure about this Piper?" Cecilia Peregrine asked, for like the twelfth time that morning
"Yes mom I'm sure," Piper replied, sure and confident, nothing was going to stop her
Her father, Ren Peregrine, glanced at his wife, the same worry going through his head as his wife's, "Piper, you know what happens every four years on a Fledging," he stated
Piper's brisk walk down the high street to the Gathering Place, slowed for a moment as she turned back to her parents, looking for the first time at the worry on their faces. "Some participants disappear, never to be seen again," she replied, "But that doesn't mean I will, some do make it back, and who knows, this year might finally be different."
Cecilia gave her wings a couple of flaps as she got round in front of her youngest daughter, "Your sister said something similar, and look what happened to her, we can't lose you too Piper."
"I'll be careful mom, I promise," Piper replied, hugging her mother when she saw the tears brimming in her eyes
Her father came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder, "No one would fault you for waiting a year," he said, trying one last time to convince Piper to wait, "You'd still be able to take the Fledging next year."
Piper did truly consider that option, for her parent's sake, but in the end, her mind was resolute, "All my friends are going this year, I can't just drop out on them like that, we've already thought out where we're going to go, what we're going to do, they'd be crushed if I didn't come with them."
Ren took a breath, it had been worth a try, and perhaps Piper was right, maybe nothing would happen this year. They didn't actually know how, what, or why young Telani were disappearing on the Fledging, perhaps whatever was causing it, wouldn't happen this year, maybe?
"Just... promise us you'll be careful," Ren finally said
Piper nodded and smiled in reply
Ren smiled in return, then turned to his wife, "It's her choice Cecilia, if she wants to go this year, there's nothing we can do to stop her."
Cecilia nodded, doing her best to hold back her tears, once she composed herself, she hugged Piper one more time, before releasing her, "Come on, at this rate, we'll be late to the gathering."
With that, the three of them hurried along the street to the large raised Dias at the edge of the city, giving a magnificent view over the forest beyond
Currently the Dias was crowded with almost half the city, most were young Telani, excited to be going on their Fledging, despite the risk of this particular year. The remainder were mostly the families of the participants, as well as some slightly older young adults who'd already taken the Fledging
At the lip of the Dias, perched over the forest below, was a small stage. The Gathering Place was usually the site of important meetings or announcements, on this particular day, it also served as the city's launch point for their Fledging
Piper looked around and soon caught sight of her friends, she waved to them before turning to her parents, "I'm going to be with my friends, right over there okay," she said, pointing to where they were gathered
Ren and Cecilia both smiled and nodded, "Okay sweetheart, have fun, and remember to be careful," Ren replied, while holding onto his wife
Piper nodded in response, a wide grin plastered on her face as she turned to push through the crowd to her friends
Ren could feel Cecilia shaking, he gripped her tighter, "She'll be fine Cecilia, she knows how to look after herself."
"So did Starling, Ren," Cecilia replied, her voice beginning to crack
Ren had no answer to that, but when Cecilia's shoulders began to shake, he turned to look at his wife, a stab of worry pierced his heart when he saw her tears. He pulled her close, letting her cry into his shoulder
"I'm sorry Ren... I just keep having flashbacks to Starling... and when she left on the Fledging... I just have this horrible feeling we're never going to see Piper again," she sobbed
Ren stroked her raven locks, and wrapped his wings around her, he said nothing, but let his wife silently release her grief for Starling, and her worry for Piper. Around them, he could see other couples going through the same problem
He glanced over to Piper, easily picking out her wings in the crowd, he saw her talking with someone he didn't know, already making new friends it seemed
Please be careful Piper, we don't care what else happens on your Fledging, just make sure you do come back
Piper had just turned back around to move through the crowd to her friends, when she collided with someone. Startled she used her wings to balance herself, the person she'd run into though, was not so quick to react however, and landed hard on their backside
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!" Piper exclaimed, hurriedly moving to the other's side to help them up
As she did, Piper noticed it was a girl her own age, she had blond hair styled into two matching pigtails, her wings were white in colour and her eyes a deep magenta. She wore clothes similar to Piper's own, sturdy clothing designed to protect against the elements, while also being light and streamlined, to make flying easier
While Piper's clothes were a navy blue with yellow and dark green highlights, this girl wore light, sky blue colours with darker, purple highlights. She had fair coloured skin with a light dusting of freckles about her face, wore a half-head band over the crown of her head, and a simple silver earring in each ear
"No, it's my fault, wasn't watching where I was going," the girl replied, gratefully accepting Piper's help as she dusted herself off
"Guess we were both being a bit clumsy," Piper said, rubbing the back of her head, embarrassed
"Guess so," the girl replied, "My name's Lark by the way," she continued, extending her hand
"Piper," Piper replied, accepting and shaking it
"So, you taking the Fledging?" Lark asked
Piper nodded, "Yep, me and my friends over there," she replied pointing to where they were waiting for her. Piper then turned back to Lark, "Hey, have you got a group yet to go with?"
"Not yet no, was just looking for one actually," Lark answered
Piper's face split into a huge smile as she grabbed Lark's arm, "Come with us, we've got a really awesome month planned out, and you know what they say, the more the merrier."
Lark suddenly seemed unsure, "That's generous, but we've only just met, I wouldn't want to intrude on you and your friends," she replied
Piper was about to speak, until a familiar voice interrupted her, "Heh Piper, whose this?"
She turned to see a familiar untidy mop of red hair atop a handsome young face, and two dark hazel eyes. "Heh Aerrow, was just about to join you guys when I ran into Lark here," she replied, gesturing to the girl next to her
"Pleased to meet you," Aerrow said, extending a hand to Lark
"Likewise," Lark replied
Suddenly a head of short blond hair and beige wings appeared between them. "Heh there," the blue eyed owner greeted, "Name's Finn, but you, cutie, can call me whatever you want," he said, while waggling his eyebrows
Lark couldn't help it, just the absurdity of the thought that a Telani was hitting on her, caused her to burst out laughing, and surprisingly, Piper was right behind her
"Sorry," Lark giggled, "But I'm afraid you're not my type," she responded, before bursting out laughing again
"Sorry about him," Piper chortled, "But I'm afraid we've been unable to cure his chronic skirt chasing."
This caused a fresh bout of laughter from the two girls, and a smirk from Aerrow, while Finn, who had just been confused, now scowled. "Heh Piper come on, that's not fair!" he cried indignantly as the girls continued giggling
"Alright, what's going on here?" asked a new voice
Lark and Piper got their laughter under control, and turned to find a slightly older girl standing behind them. She had forest green hair and wings to match, her eyes were a light pink in colour and she wore the same type of clothes as the rest of them, only in shades of dark green
"Dove!" Piper cried happily as she rushed to the newcomer and embraced her, which Dove returned
"What are you doing here, I thought you took the Fledging three years ago?" Piper asked after they broke apart
Dove nodded, "I did, but a lot of parents have been pressing on the Skyknights to do something about the disappearances," she replied. "Unfortunately, there's not much they can do, when they don't know what's happening to cause them, so to placate the worried parents, they've asked some of us older young adults to accompany you guys on the Fledging, we're young enough that we'll be closer to peers, rather than adults."
Piper, Aerrow and Finn nodded in acceptance, it made sense when you thought about it, the older ones had the experience of the Fledging already under their belts. So if anything did go wrong, they'd be able to protect their younger peers, or at least hold off whatever was causing the disappearances long enough for help to arrive
Lark on the other hand though, was now curious, this was the first she'd heard of disappearances during the Fledging. "Disappearances, what are you talking about?"
The other four looked at her like she was crazy
"Dude, where have you been living, under a rock!?" Finn exclaimed
Lark winced a bit, "To a certain extent, my parents don't let me out much," she replied, the half truth rolling easily off her tongue
"Then I'm surprised they let you come to this Fledging, most parents want to stop their kids going on a cursed year," Aerrow stated
Another wince, "Actually, they don't know I'm here, I snuck out," Lark replied, her cheeks reddening
Piper stared open mouthed at her, eyes wide; the boys didn't look too different. Dove meanwhile just shook her head, "Alright, here's the long and short of it," she began, "Every four years, some of the participants who go on the Fledging, don't come back."
Lark's eyes widened as she heard this, then Piper picked up the thread, "It's the same for every Clan, every settlement, like clockwork, every four years," Lark noted the look of anguish that crossed Piper's face as she spoke
"You lost someone?" she asked
Piper merely nodded, but it was Dove who replied
"Starling, her sister, my friend, along with many others, almost our entire Fledging for that year just... vanished... into thin air," Dove said
Lark looked round at all of them, shocked, "And your still going, despite what you know happens?"
"There's no guarantee that things will be the same this year, but we simply don't have enough information to really do anything about it, the alternative would be to cause whole generations to miss their Fledgings, and deny them that rite of passage," Aerrow explained
Lark was about to retort, but came up short. Who was she to question them, this was a tradition going back centuries, and yet despite these disappearances, their people still prospered. Even so, Lark suddenly felt uneasy about this whole thing, something suddenly didn't seem right, it was like she was starring at a puzzle she had all the pieces to, but one. She was missing something, but she didn't know what
Piper then shook herself free of the morbid thoughts the conversation had stirred up, "At any rate, we're going, curse or no curse, and who knows, maybe this year will be the year that nothing happens, right?"
That seemed to bring the others out of their dark cloud, and they brightened up considerably. "Right," Aerrow replied, "Remember, we've got a fun filled month ahead of us, we should enjoy it as much as we can."
"I hear that dude," Finn agreed, smiling
Piper then turned to Lark, "So Lark, would you like to come with us?"
Lark considered it, so far she'd been unsuccessful at interacting with anyone and finding a group. She blended in well enough, and no one gave her a second glance, but she needed a group if she was to take part in the Fledging, and Piper and her friends were the only ones offering
"Okay," she nodded, "So long as that's okay with you guys?" she asked, glancing to Aerrow and Finn
Aerrow smiled while shrugging, "Heh, the more the merrier."
"Hell yes, this month is going to be awesome!" Finn cried while flourishing his wings
"What about you Dove, you want to come with us?" Piper suddenly asked the older girl
Dove gave a small chuckle while shaking her head, "Why not, someone's gotta make sure you kids don't get too carried away."
They all chuckled at that, before the sound of a foghorn blasted over the gathering place
Everyone turned to see a tall, red headed Telani man step up onto the stage at the edge of the Dias. "Who's that?" Lark asked
"My dad," Aerrow replied, "Lightning Strike, leader of the Skyknights," a big grin on his face
Lark noticed Piper roll her eyes, but held a smile all the same, Lark smiled back, then turned her attention back to Lightning as he began speaking
"Alright, welcome all, now, who's ready for their Fledging!" he called out over the crowd
A huge roar answered him, but Lightning merely chuckled, "Oh come on now, you can do better than that!" he goaded
The answering roar this time seemed twice as loud, and some young Telani even flew up into the air a short ways, so their voices carried over the crowd
Lightning gave a bark of hearty laughter, "Now that's more like it," he said after everyone had settled. "You're all excited I take it!?" he asked
Another roar went out, and to Lark it seemed even louder than the last
"And so you should, one whole month to do what you want, go where you want, with no adult supervision, what teenager wouldn't want an adventure like that!?" he encouraged
Yet another roar swept the Dias, the sheer volume of noise was almost overwhelming for Lark, she was glad she remembered her smart ear plugs, which adjusted automatically to protect her ear drums from particularly loud noises. Lark knew, then and there, that this was going to be an experience like no other, despite the fact she knew she'd been recording since she left the observation pod, she checked once again, to make sure she was getting everything
This will turn those old Fossil's heads at the Academy for sure
"Of course, it's not all fun and games," Lightning said, his voice now serious, "It's about finding out who you really are, and what you want out of life. It's about learning your limits, both you're physical and mental ones."
Lightning paused here, giving his words a moment to sink in, "But of course, that's life, have to take the good with the bad, the fun moments with the serious ones," he continued. "I learned this, as has every Telani before you, the Fledging is an opportunity, to be with friends, to have fun, but also to learn, so don't waste it, this is your time, and you get to choose how you spend it."
Once more, the crowd of young Fledglings roared their assent
Lightning's face now turned deadly serious, "I'm sure some of you have noticed some of your older peers among you this year, even though they've already taken their Fledging." Whispered mutterings spread through the crowd at this, it died down as Lightning began speaking again, "They're here for you, because this is the fourth Fledging since the last disappearances, and it was decided that some extra protection would be best," Lightning continued, "Their young enough to still be your peers, but old enough that their experience will give you a far better chance should something go wrong, than if you were alone."
Lark noticed that the parents were the ones to voice their assent to this statement, and her mind was once again dragged to the thought of what could be causing Telani to go missing on their Fledging. This planet was an unknown outside of the UNE, so she doubted anyone off-world could be responsible, but a local threat just didn't seem likely, especially on the scale they'd hinted to her. She was missing something, something important
"But don't let that distract you, this is your month, so go out there and enjoy it, spend time with your friends, push yourselves, and remember," Lightning paused here, smiling over the crowd, before punching a fist into the air as he shouted, "HAVE FUN!"
The young Telani cheered one last time, before they took to the air, wings flapping as they exulted in the freedom of flight. Lark shot up after them, remembering to keep her holographic wings flapping as she followed after Piper and her friends
And so, the Fledging had begun
UNE Stealth Station Orion, June 25th, 9:30am
Professor Torrens watched as the life signs at the edge of the city of Atmosia dispersed, and Lark's transponder went with them, keeping pace with a group of four Telani life signs heading out into the forest
"Is there no way to contact her?" he asked
"Not without giving ourselves away, even if they don't hear what's said, our transmission could still be detected, only the pods have the closed communication circuit necessary for off-world communication," replied another member of the team
Torrens put his head in his hands, he was an old man, almost 100 years old – modern medicine could perform wonders that wouldn't have been possible a couple of centuries ago – and while he was still going strong, this current situation was making retirement seem a very attractive prospect
He sat up, running a hand through his silver hair, his weathered face drawn and stern, "She had to pick this day, of all days to do this, god damn it."
The other members of the team looked nervously at one another, before looking to Torrens. "What should we do sir?"
Torrens sighed, "We can't extract her, not without giving the game away, we'll just have to wait, hope, and pray, that she and her group goes unnoticed," he stated
"And if they don't go unnoticed?"
"Then heaven help us."
And that closes Chapter 1, I hope you all enjoyed, please remember that I' am completely open to constructive criticism and don't forget to review
One final thing, there will be some OC's like Torrens and Piper's parents scattered here and there throughout the story. Additionally, just for clarity, Cecilia Peregrine has the same skin colour as Piper, and passed that onto her, and Ren Peregrine, has the same as Starling, and passed that on to her. I'm not a geneticist so I don't know if this is actually possible, but from what I remember from my biology lessons, when two dominant alleles come together, it's a 50/50 chance of one emerging over the other
See you all next time, my dear readers ; )